Mayo Clinic has an article on managing stress while being a caregiver.
The article starts off by saying that stress puts the caregiver at risk for changes in their own health.
Here is the list of factors that may increase caregiver stress:
Caring for a spouse or family member.
Living with a person who needs care.
Caring for someone who needs constant care.
Feeling alone.
Feeling helpless or depressed.
Having money problems.
Spending many hours caregiving.
Having too little guidance from health care professionals.
Having no choice about being a caregiver.
Not having good coping or problem solving skills.
Feeling the need to give care at all times.
Signs of caregiver stress:
Feeling burdened or worrying all the time.
Feeling tired often.
Sleeping too much or too little.
Gaining or losing weight.
Being easily irked or angry.
Losing interest in activities that you used to enjoy.
Feeling sad.
Having frequent headaches, other pains or health problems.
Misusing alcohol or drugs, including prescription medication.
Missing your own medical appointments.
Tips to manage caregiver stress:
Ask for and accept help.
Focus on what you can do.
Set goals that you can reach.
Get connected with resources in your area.
Join a support group.
Seek social support. Stay connected with family and friends who support you. Take breaks even if it’s only meeting a friend for coffee.
Take care of your health.
See your health care professionals.
Respite care:
In home respite.
Adult daycare centers and programs.
Respite care in facilities.
Information for working caregivers:
Check resources for Family Medical Leave Act.
You aren’t alone:
Contact your Council on Aging for guidance.
Contact your Aging and Disability Resource Center.
These services help build coping skills and teach about caregiving.
I would also like to strongly recommend that people who are experiencing stress overload should make an appointment with a therapist to help them place their situation into the proper perspective.
Having self awareness of a situation is crucial in planning for the future.
Sometimes I think about the day when I may need someone to care for me. I do know that I will never burden my children with the ongoing grief to be my caregiver.
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I hear you! I cared for my mother for many years.
I understand your reference to FMLA, 12 weeks isn’t nearly long enough in many cases. In other cases, 12 weeks may be an adequate amount of time to give a person time to work on a caregiver plan, look at facilities and so on.
I do think overall though, it’s a good article to read.
The other one that needs an asterisk is the discussion about FLMA. Sure, it can help for short periods of care giving. But FMLA is limited to what, 12 weeks? And depending on the state and employer may be time off without pay (which some people cannot afford to do). But then what happens after 12 weeks? Many caregivers have long term caregiving situations over years and years. The longer the term, the more the stress can build.
The only thing that I don’t agree with completely is that they listed, “Having no choice about being a caregiver” as a factor in contributing to a caregiver’s stress.
It may be true that we have to step in temporarily to care for someone in an emergency situation, but at some point in time we have to make the best decision for everyone concerned.